John Tory calls for 'thoughtful discussion' about future of Toronto's libraries

The Ford brothers have drawn plenty of enemies over the suggestion that library services may be the target of budget cuts, but former Progressive Conservative leader and radio talk show host John Tory offers a somewhat different perspective.

He laments the “dialogue of the deaf” that seems to be presenting only two options: shut libraries down, or don’t touch a thing.

“I ask myself, why is that the choice? Isn’t it not only appropriate but necessary we have a thoughtful discussion about the future of libraries simply because, nothing to do with the city’s finances, the way people get written information and get books is changing,” said Mr. Tory in an interview on Wednesday.

“That prompts a whole bunch of important questions: Do we need more branches or less in an increasingly electronic world? Do we need bigger branches, with fewer of them, or smaller branches and more of them, do we need more staff or less? Are we going to start lending Kindles and Kobos to take home instead of books. These all sound far fetched, but they’re not.”